Their loyalty hit me square in the chest. I typed back: "This company isn't Blair's alone. Half of it is mine. She doesn't get to fire you without my agreement. Consider yourselves on paid leave—next month's salaries will be deposited as usual."
The chat exploded.
Everyone wanted to know how I planned to turn this around, when the company would finally change hands. But at moments like these, the less I said, the better.
"Soon," I wrote. "When Blair can't sit still anymore and comes begging us to return—that's when we'll know it's working."
The group was still buzzing with excitement when a private message popped up. One of the newer hires.
"Ms. White, Bella Lambert is telling the group chat that half the company belongs to her! She's even promising paid leave to the whole tech department. She must be losing her mind—desperate enough to say anything!"
She recalled the message almost instantly.
Not fast enough.
I'd known for a while that Blair had planted a mole in my team. Now I had a name.
I kicked her from the group without a word. She became the only tech department employee who wasn't "fired."
Lorna had been with me the longest. She knew my situation better than anyone.